Our country, so it seems, runs on choice. The more choices we have the better we like it.
Most people in America pride themselves on the ability to make their own choices.

Our country, so it seems, runs on choice. The more choices we have the
better we like it.
Most people in America pride themselves on the ability to make their own
choices.
“Freedom of Choice,” is the cry you hear all around our country these
days. Yet, most people do not have the freedom of choice they think
they have. Somebody is influencing the choices they make without them
realizing they are being influenced.
That is called marketing.
The Gracious Mistress of the Parsonage and I were watching television
the other night, trying to watch a favorite TV program. Finally, from
an end of the room that was not my end, came an exasperated sigh. I
tried to ignore it, but you know how that works.
The exasperation seemed to accelerate and I knew that if I did not
acknowledge it in some way, well, I think you know what would happen.
It was in the middle of some commercials and so I turned to her and
said, “What's got you in such pain tonight?” At her age I did not know
if there was some medical something or other going on.
“These commercials,” she moaned so painfully, “I can't stand all these
commercials!”
I must say I was a little bummed out about all the commercials myself. I
think every one-hour program is devoted to 30 minutes of commercials.
Most of those commercials are for things I have no interest in. Or,
they are played at a very inappropriate time.
It never fails if we are having our supper while watching television
there are 79 commercials for diarrhea. Is this really a major problem
in our country today?
Getting back to my wife and the commercials, I responded as cheerfully
as I could, “Well, my dear, somebody has to pay for our television
viewing privilege.”
I felt a cold yet burning stare in my direction.
“Can't they run those lousy commercials when I'm not watching TV?”
Someone once said that silence is Golden and right then I cultivated a
golden moment.
Commercials are a way in which manufacturing companies influence our
choices. Every product has 100 different companies marketing the same
product. I have not done too much research but the little I have done I
discovered that the same company makes the same product but sells it
under a different name.
There are two categories of products. There is the name brand, which
cost a fortune. Then there is the generic brand, which is only a
fraction of what the name brand cost. It is the same product, made by
the same company, but advertised by difference venues.
This is where choice comes in.
Some people choose the high-priced product because they think it is
better.
Some of us choose the low-price product because we know better.
One night as we were watching television, it seemed most of the
commercials had to do with dieting of some kind. There were high
calorie diets, low-carb diets and diet that really did not make sense
to me.
Watching all of those dieting commercials, I did not see one that I
would die for.
Every one of those commercials assumes everybody watching wants to lose
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